Dark Explorations
by Lee Wolf 10
Summary: The Persian Guild is filled with strong, brave Pokemon. Team Rose and Team Thorn are the top two teams there. They've never seen eye to eye, but when a threatening evil awakens, it's up to them to stop it. Can they save the region before it's destroyed?
1. Team Rose and Team Thorn

**Yo, everyone! Look at this! A non-Kingdom Hearts story by me! No way!…yeah! Anyways, I came up with this idea while playing Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness…yeah…I don't have Explorers of Sky. Yet. Should be getting it soon, though. I like the idea of the Pokémon being half-human and half-Pokémon. Like a human body but with Pokémon features. And I'm sure I'm not the first one to use this idea, so…yeah…**

**This story isn't based around just one of the Pokémon from the guild. It's about mostly all of them. POV will switch from one to the other…a lot…because I'm just weird that way.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon...if I did, they'd be real, and I'd open a Pokemon college for everyone to join....that'd be awesome!**

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**Chapter 1**

"You're nothing but a stupid, fire-breathing idiot!"

"Says the chaotic bitch!"

Pala sighed heavily, her round Persian ears twitching in annoyance. She stood up from her desk, brushed back her soft, light tan-colored hair that fell just past her shoulders, and proceeded toward the double doors to her office. Her long-sleeved, tan gown trailed behind her as she threw open the wooden doors.

Arguing outside of her office were the leaders of two of Pala's best exploration teams; Team Thorn, an all-boy Pokémon group, and Team Rose, an all-girl group. Team Thorn's leader was a Charizard boy. He had shaggy red-orange hair and black eyes. He wore a tan t-shirt under an orange jacket, orange pants, and tan sneakers. A pair of Charizard wings popped out of his back with a tail to match. His name was Caleb, and his fiery and playful personality made him very different from Team Rose's leader.

Team Rose's leader was an Umbreon girl. She had black hair that reached her mid-lower back and sharp red eyes. She was wearing a black t-shirt with a golden yellow zero in the middle under a long-sleeved black jacket, black jeans with the same golden yellow zeroes on the pockets, and black sneakers. Black Umbreon ears were an inch or two above her human ears with a matching Umbreon tail. The same golden yellow zero was on her forehead. Her name was Una, and with her quiet and menacing attitude, she tried to keep away from Caleb.

Pala touched the red gem on her forehead and sighed again, wondering when their feud would stop. "Caleb, Una." The two immediately stopped arguing and looked up at their guild mistress. Her red eyes stared them down. "You two are here to report to me, correct?" Without waiting for an answer, she turned and walked right back to her desk, the two leaders following her and closing the doors.

"Now," Pala started as she sat down, "without arguing, tell me what happened."

Una crossed her arms and blinked calmly. "Team Rose was on the brink of capturing the rogue Primeape. We had him cornered easily. We were all about to fire at him." She glared over at Caleb. "Until Team _Thorn_ came along and ruined it!" She spat out the boy's team name like it was worthless. Which she probably thought it was.

"Team Thorn was exploring in Mt. Bristle when we saw the girls," Caleb explained. "We decided to help them capture the Primeape. But the girls got in our way when we tried to help." He narrowed his eyes at Una. "She just doesn't know how to let other people help. It's not our fault the Primeape got away."

"It is, too!" Una rounded on Caleb, her red eyes even sharper than before. "We were so close to capturing it! And then you just barged in and tried to play some kind of dimwitted hero!" Her Umbreon ears folded back as she snarled at him. "We don't need help from Team Thorn, alright?!"

Caleb smirked playfully. "Aww, what's wrong, Una? Do you hate being the damsel in distress?" He grinned as he added, "If you hate the role, stop playing it."

"That's it!" Una sprang at Caleb, but was flung away from him by Pala's Slash. "Stop it!" she growled at both of them. "You two fight more than a Zangoose and a Seviper!" Her eyes traveled toward her office doors. "Mirai! Artemull! Get in here!"

The double doors pushed open, and a Mismagius girl and Alakazam boy came through. Mirai, the Mismagius, had dark purple, shoulder-length hair and gleaming amber eyes. She wore a huge purple hat on her head, a knee-length purple dress under a longer, long-sleeved purple coat, purple ankle boots, and a necklace of red rubies. She walked over to Una and helped her up.

The Alakazam boy, Artemull, had short yellow-brown hair and calm brown eyes. He wore a long-sleeved brown shirt, yellow pants with brown kneepads, and brown sneakers. He immediately stood by Caleb's side, facing Pala with a calm demeanor.

Pala waited for Mirai to help Una up before facing them. "Mirai, Artemull, would you two like to explain what happened?"

Mirai nodded and looked at Artemull. He made a gesture with his hand to motion for her to go first. She gave another nod and looked at Pala. "Team Rose was pursuing the rogue Primeape when Team Thorn came in and offered their assistance. Then these two got into another famous argument." Artemull nodded in agreement.

Pala set her red eyes on the leaders. "So you two got into another fight and let the Primeape get away." She stood up and rounded her desk to stand in front of them. "What is it that makes you two fight so much?"

"He's an ass!"

"She's a bitch!"

Pala nodded, obviously angry. "You two really need to learn how to work like a team. More and more outlaws have been showing up in this region. We have no idea why. But it's up to us to capture them and bring them to justice. And you guys aren't helping at all!" She pointed to Caleb. "You. Stop making the girls mess up on their missions by giving them unneeded help." She then pointed at Una. "And you. Stop randomly attacking the boys. Am I clear?" The two leaders reluctantly nodded. "Good. You may leave."

The four Pokémon exited the guild mistress's office. Two more Pokémon stood outside, waiting for Caleb and Artemull. The first was a Swampert boy. He had spiky blue hair and orange eyes. He wore an orange t-shirt under a blue sleeveless, unzipped hoodie, blue jeans, and orange sneakers. A pair of blue sunglasses with orange lenses were on his head. His name was Sefil.

The other boy was a Staraptor named Stratos. His short hair was brown with the tips dyed white and his eyes were blue. He was wearing a white and brown t-shirt under a long, lighter brown coat, brown shorts, and white and brown sneakers. His Staraptor wings were folded against his back and he leaned against the wall as his leader appeared.

"What'd she say?" Sefil asked Caleb, getting up from where he sat on the floor. "The girls were blamed for it all, right?"

Caleb shrugged. "Nah. They got off easy. We did, too." He glanced over at Una, who was walking back to the Team Rose sleeping quarters. "None of this would have happened if they would've just accepted our help."

"We don't need help from you boys," Una growled, entering the Team Rose room and slamming the door. "We never will."

A Gardevoir girl greeted them. She was graceful and elegant with her green hair that reached just at the top of her shoulders and green eyes. Her long white halter dress with the slit up the side flowed behind her as she walked, her green slippers peeking from under the dress. "Una," she greeted her leader. "Ooh…you look angry." She took a step back.

Una shook her head and sat on her bed. "It's alright, Giselle. Team Thorn just really makes me mad." She peered past Giselle to a figure laying on the spare bed. "Giselle, what have you got there?"

Giselle stepped back and revealed a Ninetales girl. Her mid-back length white hair fanned out behind her as she slept. Her outfit consisted of an off-the-shoulder white sweater, white shorts, and white knee-high flat boots. Her Ninetales ears were seen on top of her head and all nine tails were flowing out behind her.

"I found her outside of the guild, injured," Giselle explained. "There were scratches on her legs and her arm was frozen in ice. I think she got attacked by some Grass and Ice Pokémon." She tilted her head in confusion. "I have no idea how she lost. She's a Fire Pokémon. She has a huge advantage against them." She smiled. "But she's healed now. We just have to wait until she's awake."

Una nodded and laid on her bed, her hands behind her head. "We're gonna have to do better next time. We'll go take down another outlaw tomorrow. A strong one. Then Pala will be proud of us." She closed her eyes. "And she'll see we're way better than Team Thorn will ever be."

Mirai adjusted her hat. "We already are better than those boys." She smiled reassuringly at her leader. "And you know it, Una. Don't let Caleb get to you." She sat on her bed and opened a purple book. "We're the greatest Pokémon exploration team out there!"

"Pokémon exploration team?" All three girls looked over to the spare bed. The Ninetales was awake, sitting up and staring at them with wide-eyes. "You guys are an exploration team? So I'm at the right place?"

Giselle nodded and glided over to her. "Yes, miss. You're at the Persian Guild. Lady Pala's guild?" She smiled. "We're Team Rose. I'm Giselle. That's Mirai, and our leader Una." She tilted her head. "What is your name?"

"Nikki." The Ninetales stretched and smiled up at Giselle. "Wow, I can't believe I actually made it here. It took forever!"

"What exactly happened to you?" Mirai asked, her eyes still on her book.

Nikki thought for a minute. "Well…I wanted to join an exploration team. So I traveled here and took a shortcut through a cave. I met up with some Grass and Ice Pokémon and they were strong…when I finally got here, I passed out." She blinked. "You guys are an exploration team…is there room to join?"

Giselle raised her eyebrows. "You want to join Team Rose?" Her eyes flitted over to Mirai, then Una. "Well, we are outnumbered with Team Thorn at four to three." She looked back over to Mirai. "What do you think, Mirai?"

Mirai took her eyes off of her book and stared right at Giselle. "I don't have a problem with it. She looks cool. We could use a Fire Pokémon in our group."

Both Mirai and Giselle looked over at Una. Her eyes were closed again and her breathing was even. For a minute, the girls thought she was asleep. But suddenly, Una spoke. "What moves do you know, Nikki?"

Nikki sat up straighter. "Quick Attack, Flamethrower, Iron Tail, and Fire Blast." She grinned. "I like my moves. They've helped me a lot."

Una's eyes remained closed. "You bring anything with you?"

Nikki sighed. "I had my red bag with me…but it might've gotten lost in the cave."

Giselle started and moved to her bed. She picked up a fiery red bag and brought it over to Nikki. "Is this it? It was by your side when I found you." She gave the bag to the Ninetales. "Is anything missing?"

Nikki sorted through her bag, then nodded, satisfied. "Nope. It's all there. My Berries, extra clothes, personal items…all accounted for!"

All three girls stared back over at Una. Her ears twitched slightly as she thought. Suddenly, her red eyes shot open and she stared right at Nikki. "One more thing," Una said darkly. "Are you willing to risk your life searching for treasure, bringing down outlaws, and, most importantly, doing anything to prove that we're better than the all-boy team known as Team Thorn?"

Nikki gave a sly smile. "An all-boy group? Please. Showing them up will be easy. Whoever these boys are, they'll be no match for us." She paused before saying, "The answer is yes."

Una gave a satisfied smirk. "Then you're in. Welcome to Team Rose."

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**Ok, I really want reviews. Please tell me how I did and if you hate it or not. I rather like it. The rivalry is just like the one in my story Careful. But they're Pokémon…yeah…**

**Oh, and here's how you pronounce the names. It's not that I don't believe you guys can actually pronounce the names. It's just that some of my friends couldn't say them right. So here are the pronunciations to the unusual names.**

**Una (You-nuh)**

**Mirai (Me-r-eye)**

**Artemull (Art-eh-muhl)**

**Sefil (Sefh-ill)**

**Stratos (Strah-tohs)**

**Please review for me! Thank you so much!**


	2. Differences

**I've gotta stop playing so much Pokémon. It gets addicting. I can't wait to get Pokémon Soul Silver. I've decided between Heart Gold and Soul Silver. I like the title. Soul Silver. I can't wait. It's gonna be awesome. I'm seriously flipping out about this game. And I'm gonna have an Umbreon. Because, as we all could've guessed, Umbreon is my favorite Pokémon…hehe…**

**Here's the second chapter of Dark Explorations. I hope you all like it! *still flipping out about the new games***

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**Chapter 2**

"And furthermore, I really think we should keep Team Rose and Team Thorn away from each other. I'm afraid that Una and Caleb are gonna get into a fight that destroys the guild." A Mightyena boy paced the carpet in Pala's office. His black hair was tousled; his yellow eyes fierce. He wore black boots, silver-grey cargo pants, a black shirt, and a silver and black coat. His Mightyena ears were folded back against his head and his tail swished back and forth in annoyance. "Only Palkia knows why those two hate each other so much."

Pala shook her head, sighing. She looked at the second-in-command of her guild. "Mirage, calm down. I'm sure they'll get along sooner or later. For now, we'll just make sure they take exploration missions and outlaw missions that aren't in the same place." She rolled her eyes as she added, "I don't know who gave them both a mission in Mt. Bristle…at the same time…" She glanced at the corner of the room, and Mirage followed her gaze.

A Roserade girl looked up at them, grinning mischievously. Her short white hair was fluffed up and her amber eyes could be seen through her green mask. She brushed off her green short-sleeved sundress, straightened the bracelet of red roses on her right wrist and the bracelet of blue roses on her left, and walked across the floor to Pala's desk, her yellow and green boots making no sound. "It's not that I was trying to cause any mischief, Pala," the Roserade girl said. "I just thought maybe they'd get along for once."

Pala narrowed her eyes at the Roserade girl. "Rosetta, when have Team Rose and Team Thorn ever gotten along?"

Rosetta thought for a minute, a teasing smile spreading across her face. "The last time they got along was when they first joined. I believe it was Caleb teasing Una or Una glaring at Caleb that started the feud five minutes after they arrived. I can't remember that part." She looked over at Mirage. "Do you remember, Mir-Dear?"

Mirage rolled his eyes. "Don't call me that." He stared straight at Rosetta. "And yes, I remember. It was both of those things." He glanced at Pala. "They just naturally hate each other. I think it's their Type difference. Una's a Dark Pokémon, and she's so quiet and silent. Caleb's a Fire Pokémon, and he's always teasing and playful. Two different Pokémon. Two different points of view."

Rosetta twirled around, her sundress spinning with her. "I don't think it matters what Types they are. A Dark Pokémon and a Fire Pokémon can learn to get along." She snapped and used her Vine Whip to weave the whips together to make a chair. She fell back, landing in the chair and crossing her legs. "I just think Mirage needs a nap and an Ice Pokémon to cool him down. He's too…" She searched for the right word. "…stressed. Stressed is bad." She looked up at him. "Stressed doesn't get you a nice girlfriend, Mirage. Stressed just makes you look evil."

Pala resisted the urge to laugh as Mirage growled. "I never thought there was such a thing as too relaxed. But you definitely prove me wrong, Rosetta." He looked at Pala and pointed at Rosetta. "Why'd you hire her again?"

Pala shrugged and smiled, a hint of playfulness in it. "She's funny," she answered simply.

Rosetta rested her elbow on the arm of her chair and placed her chin in the palm of her hand, grinning. "Pala likes me better~!" she sang, knowing that she was definitely getting on Mirage's nerves.

Mirage closed his eyes and sighed. "Alright. I guess it's up to me to make sure that they don't end up in the same place anymore." His ears perked up and he turned toward the doors. "Speaking of the teams…"

The double doors of Pala's office opened and Team Rose stepped through. Pala's eyebrows raised. A Ninetales girl walked with them, looking around Pala's office with curious eyes.

Rosetta hopped up from her chair and smiled. "Una-Dear!" She danced over to Una and hugged her. "It's so good to see you again!" She let go of the stunned Una and looked at the other Team Rose girls. "Mirai-Dear, Giselle-Dear! You guys look amazing!" She looked at the Ninetales girl. "And who are you?"

Una stood near the Ninetales. "This is Nikki. She's the new member of Team Rose." Una looked over at Pala. "We came to register her as our new member."

Pala walked around her desk and stood in front of Nikki. "Hmm…" Pala inspected the Ninetales. "Where did you find her?"

Mirai pointed at Giselle, who smiled at their guild mistress. "Yesterday, I found her injured. So I brought her back to the guild. It turns out she was looking to join the guild in the first place. So we agreed to allow her to join Team Rose."

Pala nodded, deep in thought. "And you're ok with this, Una?"

Una nodded. "Yeah. Nikki's cool." She sneered as she added, "She's gonna help us show up Team Thorn. So she's perfect for our team."

All of a sudden, Team Thorn entered Pala's office. "Hey, Pala. We're gonna need…" Caleb trailed off, staring at Una. "Ah, Team Rose is here. Sorry, we didn't know you were complaining to Pala."

Una bared her teeth. "We're not complaining to Pala. We're registering a new team member." Una grabbed Nikki's shoulder and pulled her to the Umbreon's side. "This is Nikki. And she's gonna help us kick your ass."

Rosetta sat back down in her chair and looked up at Una. "Una-Dear, that's no way to talk to a boy. You have to be nicer, my dear."

Una nodded. "That's right. Sorry, Rosetta." She glared at Caleb. "Nikki's gonna help us kick your ass and prove that we're a hell of a lot better than you."

Rosetta nodded approvingly. "Much better, dear. Good choice of words."

Pala shook her head and walked over to her desk. "Alright, Nikki. The girls have agreed to have you in their team. So welcome to the Persian Guild."

"Great," Nikki said, grinning. "When do I start my first mission?"

"Right now," Mirai answered, pushing past Artemull and the other members of Team Thorn to the double doors. "We can go off and take down an outlaw. It'll be fun!"

Una nodded and the rest of Team Rose followed Mirai to the outlaw board. Caleb watched them go, then turned to Pala. "Now that Team Annoying is gone, we're gonna need the Training Rooms today. Sefil and Stratos are learning some new moves."

Pala waved her hand, keeping her eyes on the papers in front of her. "Yeah, sure, whatever." She put down the papers and glanced over to them. "When you're done training and want to take on a job or an outlaw, do NOT go to the same place Team Rose is at. Got it?"

Caleb copied Pala's hand wave. "Yeah, sure, whatever." He and the other members of Team Thorn left, Mirage and Rosetta watching them as they walked off.

Rosetta crossed her legs again and put her hands on her knees. "I think that went well!" she commented, smiling. "The girls really know their manners!" She looked over at Mirage with a fake pout. "The boys aren't too kind, though. They need a lesson in being polite."

Mirage stared at Rosetta like she was stupid. "The girls basically cussed out the boys! How is that polite and manners?"

Rosetta raised her eyebrows. "Whatever do you mean, Mir-Dear? The girls were very kind!" She shook her head in mock disappointment. "I think Mirage should go and teach the boys how to be nice."

Mirage glanced at Pala. "And I think Rosetta shouldn't spend so much time with the girls when they're not on a mission."

Pala sighed. "Look, I don't care what you guys do, I just don't want them going on a mission at the same place." She rolled her eyes as she added, "No one knows what could happen if they meet up again."

~**~

"How about this?" Giselle pulled a paper off of the outlaw board. "We go to Mt. Horn and take on a rogue Sceptile. It's perfect for Nikki. He's a Grass Pokémon, and she's a Fire Pokémon."

Una nodded. "Alright, it's good with me. Let's go to Mt. Horn." She looked over at Giselle. "Teleport us there."

Giselle smiled and used her Teleport to move them to the entrance to Mt. Horn. "Alright, Nikki. Are you ready for your first outlaw takedown?"

All nine of Nikki's tails were twitching with anticipation. "You bet! I'm ready to face this Sceptile!"

Una gave her the smallest hint of a smile. "Good. Let's go."

Nikki darted after Una as they ran into Mt. Horn. Her tails flew out behind her as she ran with her new team, excitement swelling up inside of her. "Hey, Una," she said, turning to her leader. "Can I ask you something?"

Una quickly pivoted and turned a corner, keeping her eyes on what was in front of her. "Sure, Nikki. Anything."

Nikki hesitated, wondering how to phrase her question. "Why do we hate Team Thorn? What's the real reason?"

Una skidded to a halt, and the other girls almost ran into her. She spun around to stare at Nikki, her eyes sharp. But the anger in them wasn't for Nikki, and she knew that. It was for the thought of Team Thorn.

"Isn't it obvious?" Una growled, pacing back and forth. "From day one, they teased us and kept saying we'd never be as strong as them." She narrowed her eyes. "They're wrong. We're gonna prove we're better and stronger." She smirked. "We've already proved we're smarter than them."

Nikki glanced over at Mirai. "Is that the real story?" she whispered.

Mirai pursed her lips. "Uh, I'll tell you the story another time. For now, we have a Sceptile to capture." She waved her hand in a gesture for them to continue, and Una immediately started running again. The others darted after her, keeping up with their leader.

Giselle ran beside Nikki. "Really, that's part of the story." She flipped her hair away from her face before continuing. "I can't tell you the story now. I fear I might run out of breath before we get there." She smiled. "But let's just say it definitely all started with Una and Caleb."

Nikki tilted her head. "Why do they hate each other?"

"That's also part of the story." Giselle jumped over a boulder in her path gracefully. "And we will tell you the story sometime. Just not precisely now."

Near the base of Mt. Horn, Una stopped and hid behind a rock wall. "Alright," she whispered. "The Sceptile is right over there. Nikki." She looked at said Ninetales. "Are you ready for this?"

Nikki's eyes sparkled as she nodded. "Yes! I'm ready! I've been ready for this since I decided I wanted to be part of an exploration team!"

Una nodded. "Good." They all stepped away from the rock wall and into the sight of the Sceptile. Una lifted her head defiantly and let out a slow, easy smirk. "Nikki," she said, dragging out the words on purpose. "Flamethrower."

With a flick of all nine of her tails, Nikki opened her mouth and let out a huge blast of fire.

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**I can already tell I'm gonna love writing about Rosetta. =) No, this isn't a cliffhanger, just decided to stop it there. Because I can. ^^ Chapter 3 will be coming whenever I feel like it, so stay tuned!**

**Leave a review, please!**


	3. The Secret

**Wow, I've been really into this story. Three chapters already. I can't help it! I like this story. But trust me, updates don't usually come as fast as this. And they probably won't sooner or later. But this story is really fun to write…and I have a bunch of ideas for it, too…and I've been in the biggest Pokémon mood in the world. I'm sure I'll update my other stories, too…when I'm in the mood…which isn't right now…sorry…**

**I'd like to thank Almiaranger for pointing this out to me. I can't believe I forgot to mention this. I understand that when I wrote about Pokémon like Giselle, I gave her green eyes. I know Gardevoirs have red eyes naturally, but it seems that all the Pokémon I write about have red eyes. Una has red eyes, Pala has red eyes…I didn't want all the Pokémon to have red eyes. It'd just be so boring if everyone had red eyes (plus, it's partly my fault for choosing so many Pokémon with red eyes to write about). But thanks again to Almiaranger for mentioning it. If she didn't, I probably would've forgotten about it. Because, knowing me, I would.**

**Ok, so enough of my rambling! Back to the story!**

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**Chapter 3**

"That was the best mission ever!" Nikki pranced into the guild, her tails flickering in enthusiasm. "Did you see me? My Flamethrower threw off that Sceptile easily! It was so shocked!" She turned around and looked at her teammates as they followed her into the guild. "And when Officer Magnezone came in, he was surprised we took it down so fast!" She twirled around, her white hair whipping around her. "Being part of an exploration team rocks!"

Una followed Nikki into the guild, the bag of reward money slung over her shoulder. "You did great," Una praised the new member, putting her hand on Nikki's shoulder. "Keep this up, and you'll be fit for harder outlaws and jobs."

Mirai and Giselle were the last to enter the guild. Mirai smoothed her purple hair over her shoulder and adjusted the giant witch-like hat. She turned to Giselle as they trailed behind their leader. "Giselle," the Mismagius said, "I need you to do me a favor of sorts."

Giselle blinked steadily, flipping her green hair over her shoulder gracefully. "A favor, Mirai?" she asked. "Hmm…depends on the favor. What do you need me to do?" She paused for a second. "Wait. If this is about hiding something you stole again, I'm not doing it."

It wasn't that big of a secret around the Persian Guild that Mirai was quite the thief. She looked calm and nice enough not to have such a hobby, but she couldn't help herself. Her Ghost abilities allowed her to easily snatch whatever she thought of as valuable. Though she'd never steal from her friends, the other members of the Persian Guild weren't as lucky. None of the girls could figure out why she had such a love of thievery, but Una never really complained. She always stated that Mirai's ability would be useful to them sooner or later.

Mirai hid her hands behind her back innocently. "I didn't steal anything, Giselle," she said defensively. "But I do need you to hide something."

Giselle looked at Mirai questioningly. "You need me to hide something you didn't steal." It was more of a statement than a question. Mirai nodded. "Well, what is it?"

Mirai gave a knowing smile. "I have a secret. A really cool secret."

The Gardevoir's eyes widened. "A secret. And what would this secret be?"

Mirai giggled before leaning toward Giselle. She started to whisper the secret to her, and Giselle's eyes widened even more. "Seriously?" Giselle murmured when Mirai pulled away. "Is it true?"

Mirai nodded. "Yup. But we can't tell Una." She looked up and over to said leader. The Umbreon was talking to Pala in front of her office, laughing as Nikki retold the whole story excitedly. "No one's supposed to tell Una," the ghost continued, turning back to Giselle. "Team Thorn better not tell her if they find out. It's a bit of a surprise."

"Surprise?" Giselle repeated, waving at a Feraligator boy politely as he passed by them. "Surprise? This is huge. It's been, what? Three years since last time?"

"Probably," Mirai shrugged as Team Rose started to move to their room. "That's why this is so big. She can't know until it happens next Saturday. She's going to flip!"

"Flip with surprise or anger that no one told her?" Giselle asked. "She's probably not ready for this. The poor dear thought-"

"I know what she thought," Mirai interrupted. "But this'll prove that what she thought isn't true. And it'll be good for her, y'know? I think she'll be happy. Really happy."

"How did you find out about this in the first place?" The Gardevoir girl questioned, her eyes roaming over to Una for a split second. "Who told you this was happening?"

"_He_ did himself." Mirai's eyes shone with excitement. "Sent me a letter through the Pelipper mail. It had his signature and everything." She pulled a black and blue envelope out of her coat and took out the sheet of paper inside. Passing it to Giselle, she smiled. "His handwriting, too. I was so shocked when I got it."

Giselle's green eyes passed over the words, her mouth moving silently as she read. Those same green orbs widened with each passing sentence. "It really is his handwriting…" She looked up at Mirai. "Oh my Dialga. This is _huge_."

"What's huge?" Mirai and Giselle gasped and turned around. Artemull and Stratos were standing behind them, eyes filled with questions. "What's huge?" Artemull repeated, staring straight at Mirai.

"It's none of your business." Mirai glared at the boys. "Don't you have a leader's ass to kiss before he gets pissed at you?"

Stratos ignored the purple ghost and held out his hand. "What do you have there, Giselle?" he asked, his piercing eyes boring into hers. "Let me see it."

Mirai glanced over at Giselle, knowing her manners might just come before her loyalty to Team Rose. Giselle was holding her ground, staring steadily at Stratos. This was bad. Stratos was the aggressive member of Team Thorn. He wouldn't think twice before hurting one of the girls. Though Giselle was a skilled fighter, Stratos would have the upper hand. Giselle was quick and graceful, but Stratos was strong and definitely not stupid. The first chance he got, he'd easily break Giselle. And that wouldn't be very good in the two Team's feud.

Giselle took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Stratos. But as Mirai said, this doesn't involve you. Mind your own business."

Stratos narrowed his eyes. "Fine. Be that way." Faster than Giselle could have blocked, the Staraptor reached out and grabbed the Gardevoir by her arm, pulling her close. His free hand tried to wrestle the letter out of her grasp.

Mirai's eyes widened. The way Stratos' fingers were pressed against Giselle's arm, she'd have bruises in the shape of fingerprints on her skin. And Una would definitely notice that. She looked at Giselle, wondering if she should call for Una. But Giselle shook her head. Mirai quickly understood. If Una came over, she'd want to know what was going on. And somewhere in that explanation involved telling her the secret.

Finally, Stratos took the letter from Giselle, but he didn't let her go. Nor did he let up on his grip. He scanned the letter, raising an eyebrow. "Seriously?" he asked the girls, handing the letter to Artemull to read. "He sent this to you? Is he really…?"

"It's none of your business!" Mirai repeated her earlier statement angrily. "That letter was for us! Not you!"

Artemull gave the letter back to Mirai, who snatched it fiercely. "Does Una know?" The Alakazam asked. "She's excited, right? I mean…wow. Three years, right?"

"Una doesn't know," Giselle murmured helplessly against Stratos. "It's a surprise. Please don't tell her."

"I love ruining surprises," Stratos said. His lips curved into a tiny smirk. "I'm sure the Team Rose leader would love to know this. Spoil the surprise and everything."

"Please don't tell her," Giselle said desperately, glancing up at Stratos. "This surprise will be so good for her. Please, don't."

Stratos stared right back at Giselle, his blue eyes cold and relentless. He seemed to be searching her eyes for some reason to go against her plead and tell Una. Mirai watched this silent battle, tense. If Stratos told Una, everything would be ruined. Artemull wouldn't tell; Mirai knew he had a small amount of decency out of all the Team Thorn boys. It was just Stratos she was worried about.

Suddenly, Stratos' eyes widened and he nodded. "Fine. I won't tell." Slowly, he released Giselle, who stumbled over to Mirai, clutching her arm. "Be thankful, Team Rose girls. I'm too tired to mess with you anymore." He cast a single, confused glance at Giselle before walking away, Artemull following.

Mirai stared at Giselle as she unclasped her arm. Sure enough, there were five bruises circling her arm. Mirai let out a slow breath. "Are you okay?" she asked, watching Giselle carefully.

Giselle nodded, gently touching the bruises. "Without Una knowing, can you sneak into my closet and grab my long-sleeved cardigan?"

Mirai felt along the wall to the left of the door that led to Team Rose's room. Finally sensing Giselle's closet, she slipped her arm through the wall as only a ghost can do and ran her fingers over silk and velvet. Finally, she pulled out a white cardigan. "Here," she said softly, handing it to Giselle. "Stratos needs his ass kicked. Pathetic boy thinks he can go ahead and hurt you to get what he wants. Are you sure you're okay?"

Giselle nodded again, slipping on the cardigan to hide her bruises. "Yeah. It's fine. You know I've faced worse." She gave Mirai a reassuring smile. "Come on. Una and Nikki are probably wondering what happened to us."

The two girls entered the room right as Nikki asked, "Where are Giselle and Mirai?" The Ninetales looked over at the two. "Oh. There you two are. Giselle, were you wearing that before?" she asked, talking about the white cardigan.

Giselle started, thinking of an answer. But Nikki had already forgotten about it. Instead, her attention was drawn to a picture sitting on Una's nightstand. There was Una, about three or two years younger than she was now. Next to her was an Umbreon boy, but he looked different than the usual Umbreon. Yellow eyes shined brightly as he stood next to a smiling Una. He had shaggy black hair with the tips dyed blue. He was cloaked in all black, wearing the same outfit Una usually wore, except the long-sleeved black jacket was traded in for a long black coat. Instead of yellow, the circles on his ears, tail, forehead, and patterns on his clothes were blue. "Hey, Una?" Nikki asked. "Who's that?" She pointed to the picture.

Una sat on her bed, flipping through a magazine. "Hmm?" She looked up and over to where Nikki pointed. "Oh." She smiled faintly. "That's my brother. His name's Eclipse. He was an explorer at this guild once."

"He looks different than any normal Umbreon I've ever seen," Nikki said, staring curiously at the picture. "His eyes are yellow instead of red, and the circles are blue instead of yellow."

Una nodded. "Yup. Only Umbreon in the world with different colors." She laughed. "Mom always said he was special. I used to think there was something wrong with me. I thought that I was supposed to be the same colors as Eclipse. But Mom said I was just fine. Got jealous after a while, though. I loved his colors." She turned back to her magazine. "Mom said something about him being 'shiny' or some weird stuff like that."

Nikki tilted her head. "Where is he now?"

"I don't know," Una answered, her voice cracking with a bit of anger. "He left when I joined. I don't know if he's dead or alive." She took a deep breath before saying, "And I couldn't care less. If he doesn't want to talk to me, so be it."

Mirai and Giselle giggled knowingly, Nikki staring over at the two questioningly. Una looked up at them. "What are you two laughing about?"

"Oh, nothing." The two smiled at each other before going to their own beds. "You'll find out soon enough."

* * *

**I am upset. Just got SoulSilver four days ago…and I already beat it. All the Johto Gym Leaders, all the Kanto Gym Leaders…everything's done. Damn it. *cries***

**Hehe, Una's brother is a shiny Umbreon. I have a shiny Umbreon! I love him! He's so pretty! *huggles shiny Umbreon* I love shiny Pokémon. They're so different and unique. I have four other shiny Pokémon, but I don't want to brag. But just 'cause I can, the other four are a Sharpedo, Gyarados (I'm sure we can all get a shiny Gyarados playing Silver or Gold), Bronzor, and Whismur. I love them all.**

**So, go ahead and please leave me comments! They're truly the inspiration to my writing! Tell me what you think, please!**


	4. Can't Tell You

**Hello, Pokémon fans! I've missed you all! Wow, it really has been awhile with this story. I'm terribly sorry for that. Please refrain from killing me. *looks at audience warily* Anyways, I hope you all are excited for chapter 4. I promise I'll try to update more.**

**So any of you excited for the 3DS? I'm getting it. I hope they release the Animal Crossing for the 3DS in America. That's the main reason I'm getting it. I love Animal Crossing. It's such a cute game.**

**One more thing (though you all are probably ready to kill me and just get on with the chapter): I've been replaying Pokémon Colosseum on the Gamecube. And it filled me with an awesome fanfic for it. I wanna use my own characters and some sort of story line based on the game play. But I wanna know what you guys think. So those of you who are kind enough to review, tell me if you think I should do it. I'd love to know.**

**...**

**Chapter 4**

At the dining hall that evening, Una sat down next to Nikki at one of the wooden benches. She set her tray in front of her, the steaming potatoes and fresh berries smelling great. Nikki was already digging in happily. Mirai was reading as she ate, and Giselle took dainty bites as she tried to catch the title of Mirai's book.

The Umbreon girl took a sip of her water before she eyed Mirai and Giselle. "So do you two wanna tell me what you were giggling about earlier? Kinda made me curious."

Mirai shut her book and placed it next to her. "It was nothing. We just find it funny when you talk about your brother like you hate him."

"I do hate him," Una replied, taking a bite of a berry. "He left just when I got here. He doesn't want to be anywhere near me. His own sister! Shows how much he loves me. None of our cousins even know where he is."

"Perhaps your brother had something important to tend to," Giselle assured her leader. "Eclipse was one of the best explorers. Maybe he found a job at an elite guild. Wouldn't you love that?"

Una grunted. "I never said I wouldn't love that. I'd be so happy for him if that were true. But he's never written to me or anyone. Everyone thinks he's dead. He probably is. And no one's cared to tell us if he is."

"You shouldn't worry so much, Una." Mirai took a few bites of her potatoes before she continued. "This is your brother we're talking about. You never know if he's…just around the corner."

Una snorted. "Just around the corner. Yeah, right." She stared at her food and gave a small sigh before letting her red eyes wander around the room. Pala was sitting at the head table with Rosetta and Mirage, both of whom looked like they were arguing. Mirage looked as though he would love to smack his head against the table, but Rosetta was just sitting there with her teasing smile. It made Una laugh slightly.

Then she caught the eyes of Caleb. He was sitting a ways away from her, his black eyes staring right into her red orbs. After a minute, he blinked and gave her a sly smirk. His eyes narrowed in a way that made Una want to punch him. Suddenly, he mouthed the words "I know something you don't know."

Una's fists clenched. What the hell? He knew something she didn't? It was probably something that she didn't care about. She rolled her eyes and turned back to her food.

She tried to eat her dinner, but Caleb had stood up and walked over to where she was. He sat at the edge of the bench, his black eyes teasing. "I bet you're dying to know what it is, too," he mocked, propping his elbow onto the table and leaning his face on his fist. "All of Team Thorn know what it is."

Una noticed Mirai and Giselle staring at Caleb incredulously, while Nikki looked like she had no idea what was going on. Una sighed and put her fork down. "Well, I've officially lost my appetite," she said. "Just looking at you makes me sick." She glanced over at him. "And why the hell should I care that you know something for once?"

Caleb looked over to the other members of Team Thorn for a second. Then he looked at Giselle and Mirai before his black eyes returned to Una. "Because what I know will shock you. Probably make you happy."

"Make me happy?" she asked, surprised. "You know a secret…that'll make me happy?" She blinked before starting. "Oh, Pala's finally kicking you out of the guild for being a moron? That must be terrible…and funny."

Caleb's smirk disappeared and he glanced back over to the Mismagius and Gardevoir. They looked back at him with desperation. "No, though I know you'd love that. Nope, this is bigger. And probably better."

Una turned and gave him her full attention. "Alright, you got me. What is it that you know?"

Caleb grinned. "That's the thing, Chaos. Can't tell you."

"I told you not to call me Chaos. Just 'cause you think I'm a chaotic bitch doesn't mean you have to call me Chaos," Una said crossly. "Now why can't you tell me?"

"Because it's a surprise," Caleb told her. "And even though I love ruining any surprises that involve you…I'd be an eternal ass if I told you the surprise."

"What difference will that make? You're already an eternal ass."

"I'll be an even bigger ass if I tell you. The only thing that I can tell you is that it's next Saturday."

Una lifted her eyes to Giselle and Mirai. They looked guilty. "I know you two know what he's talking about. So this must be an important surprise if you haven't told me. So I'm gonna have to do what any good leader would do-" at this, Caleb snorted in amusement, "-and trust you. I'd like to know how Team Thorn found out, though."

Caleb got a funny look on his face, a mixture of curiosity and confusion. "Yeah, how did Stratos and Artemull get you guys to tell them?" he asked, turning to the two girls.

Mirai and Giselle shared a scared and shocked look. Giselle tugged at the sleeve of her cardigan nervously while Mirai stuttered. "Well…you see…uh…"

"Come on, if you can't tell me the secret, at least tell me how they found out," Una urged.

The girls shared another look. Mirai sighed in defeat and gestured to Giselle. "Might as well show them. They'll find out sooner or later."

Giselle's green eyes traveled to the ground as she took off her cardigan and laid the white fabric onto her lap. Una immediately noticed what was wrong. Five ugly bruises circled her dainty upper arm. Una reached across the table and touched the bruised skin, noticing how Giselle flinched. "Who…?"

Caleb was also looking carefully at Giselle's arm. His black eyes widened. "Great Arceus…" he muttered. "That bastard." He jerked his head up and glanced around the room. "Stratos!" he said fiercely, standing up and going over to the Staraptor. He grabbed Stratos by the shoulder and hauled him out of the room, earning a glance of confusion from Pala and Mirage.

Una stared at Giselle. "Did Caleb tell Stratos and Artemull to force the secret out of you?" she growled, ready to get up and find Caleb.

"No, not at all. They didn't even know about the secret until they heard us talking about it." Giselle slipped back on the cardigan and ducked her head in shame. "Stratos was too quick. He grabbed me and wouldn't let go until we told him…"

"And you're sure Caleb had nothing to do with it?"

"As much as you'd like a reason to kill him, yes, we're sure," Mirai assured her leader. "It was just Stratos and Artemull."

Una stood up then, walking toward the door in search of Caleb and Stratos. She ignored the strange looks that Pala, Mirage, and Rosetta gave her as she exited the large dining hall, the double doors closing behind her.

Nikki finished her dinner and looked at her two teammates. "Ok, I'm totally lost. What's the secret?"

Mirai fished a blue and black envelope out of her pocket and handed it to Nikki. "You see, this is what we can't tell Una…"

...

Caleb and Stratos weren't in the hall as Una suspected. Caleb must've dragged Stratos all the way to the room Team Thorn shared. She walked down one of the long halls until she got to the wooden door that read 'Team Thorn'.

She didn't want to knock and miss out on what they were talking about, so the Umbreon pressed a human ear and an Umbreon ear against the door. She could clearly make out what they were saying.

"In what universe do I condone the use of violence for something stupid like a secret?" That was Caleb, his usual playful voice angry and almost disappointed. "We try to outshine the girls in missions! We're not trying to kill them!"

"I didn't kill her, I just grabbed her arm." Stratos sounded way too calm, as though he didn't see any harm in hurting a Team Rose girl over a secret. "It's not my fault she's a weakling."

"You could've broke her arm!" Caleb shouted. "What would we tell Una then? 'Sorry, we broke your teammate's arm and caused her a lot of pain over a secret'?"

Una heard Stratos sigh. "Her arm isn't broken. And she's fine. I let her go after a while."

Caleb paused. Una could imagine him staring at Stratos as though what he had just said was perfectly fine. After a while, she heard the Charizard say, "And why did you let her go?"

Stratos started. "Well, because I didn't want to break her arm. That wasn't my intention…" He seemed to be trying to explain something that Caleb couldn't understand. "And…she looked at me. And…I…I don't know…"

"She didn't go into your mind and make you let go of her? She is a Psychic Pokémon after all…"

"No, I would've felt her in my mind. I just…she looked at me…and I guess the pain made her look like she was gonna cry…and…" Una imagined Stratos shaking his head. "I just…don't know…"

"I see…" Caleb sounded suspicious of Stratos. "Alright then. Just…we don't attack the girls. We're trying to prove we're better. We don't really want to kill them." He sighed before saying, "All right, you can go back to dinner now."

Una quickly backed away from the door as Stratos walked out. He didn't notice Una; he looked as though he was deep in thought as he walked back to the dining hall.

Caleb also stepped out of the room and shut the door. When he noticed Una, he started. "Oh, hey Chaos." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Uh, I'm sorry that Stratos attacked Giselle like that. She didn't deserve it…"

Una stuck her hands in her jeans pockets. "It's ok. Giselle and Mirai told me you didn't make him do it, so you shouldn't be sorry."

Caleb looked at the ground. "So I imagine you were eavesdropping, were you?" he asked, his teasing voice coming back.

Una gave a small smile. "That's none of your business. Artemull wasn't there to sense my presence, so you'll never know." She looked up at him. "Is…Stratos ok?"

"That's what I wanna know." He shook his head. "Giselle doesn't know…Attract, does she?"

"What? No, none of us do." Una gave him a confused look. "Why would you say that?"

"Just…just wondering." Caleb smirked at Una. "You look troubled, Chaos. What's on your mind?"

"Dammit, my name isn't Chaos." She hesitated, blinking steadily. "Caleb…what's the secret? It's gonna bug me now…after this whole incident…"

Caleb chuckled. "Sorry, Chaos. Can't tell you." He turned to walk back to the dining hall, his eyes expecting her to follow. "I'm just gonna say this: next Saturday, prepare to be surprised."

...

**Ok, that's it! I hope you liked it. Caleb's a bit OOC there, being slightly nice to Una and all. But I guess he just felt guilty for Stratos being an idiot.**

**Review for me, please! And tell me what you think about my Pokémon Colosseum idea!**


	5. Lunar Eclipse

***skips in joyously, singing* Thirty-nine PokéBalls lined up on the wall! Thirty-nine PokéBalls! You take one down, send it out, see it's just a Magikarp, get angry, throw the PokéBall at your opponent, thirty-eight PokéBalls lined up on the wall! Thirty-eight PokéBalls lined- *stops singing and skipping, staring at audience* …what the hell are all of you doing here? *silence* …oh! You're all here for chapter 5! Well, ok then! *more silence* What? The weird song at the beginning? I…uh…look, it's chapter 5! Enjoy!**

**By the way, I started that Pokemon Colosseum story. It's called Acid. Go check it out!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 5**

Nikki's red eye peered into the lens of the video camera, the record button blinking steadily. "Is this thing on? Is that red button supposed to be on? Or does that mean it's gonna explode?" With that thought, she quickly pulled it away from her eye. "Oh shoot. Giselle, is it gonna explode?"

Giselle glided over to where Nikki sat on the floor in the dining hall. She clicked the button on the side of the silver video camera, turning the record function off. "It's not going to explode, Nikki. And don't record yet. Save it for when we need it." She picked up a box of blue and black decorations and walked over to the ladder Mirai was standing on. "I've got more streamers and balloons here, Mirai. Would you like some help?"

"No, just leave them at the bottom of the ladder. Someone else will have to put them up. Nikki and I have to head over to the Drifblim port to go get the guest of honor." Mirai climbed down from the ladder and hoisted Nikki up. "Come on, you. Let's get going." The purple-haired girl looked up at the Gardevoir. "So that leaves you to keep Una distracted."

Giselle's green eyes widened in distress. "I can't go distract her. I have to finish decorating and get everything set up. I thought you were just gonna send Nikki to fetch him and you were going to watch Una."

"We never agreed that!" Mirai exclaimed. "I can't just let Nikki go off on her own to get him; she doesn't know the way. And she won't be able to distract Una very well." As if to prove her point, the two looked over to the hyper Ninetales who was making faces into the lens of the video camera. When Nikki realized that they were staring at her, she stopped and said, "It was mocking me with the red light."

The Gardevoir took the video camera and laid it on the table by the wall. "You can leave that here for now. But one of us has to go out and distract Una."

"Then what are we gonna do? Who can completely distract Una long enough to get everything ready?" Mirai crossed her arms and sighed, her amber eyes sparkling with confusion and conflict.

And that's when the idea struck the three girls.

* * *

"Caleb! Caleb, open up!" Mirai knocked fiercely on the door to the room that Team Thorn lived in. "Caleb, goddamn it, I know you're in there!"

"Mirai, I've had an interesting idea," Giselle said, hugging her arms. She was obviously afraid to be so close to the room that Stratos lived in after what he did to her. "What if Caleb doesn't wanna do it? Or what if he trick us and just leads Una to the dining hall? Or maybe he'll just tell Una the whole plot. Or-"

"Giselle, you are being a downer." Mirai kept knocking but turned to look at Giselle and Nikki. "If Caleb doesn't agree, I'll make him agree! We need someone to distract Una while Nikki and I go to the Drifblim port and you finish decorating! No one else is capable of distracting Una for a while or argue with her for hours on end! So if the damn fire-breathing dumbass doesn't wanna do it, then he'll have to deal with his life because he has to!"

Nikki had gone wide-eyed and was looking past Mirai. Giselle was holding a hand to her mouth, trying to contain her giggles. Mirai looked back to the door. She hadn't realized that she was knocking on air and not wood, or that Caleb had opened the door a minute ago. Mirai put her fist down slowly, staring at Caleb. "Uh…hi."

Caleb had taken off his jacket and tied it around his waist, showing off his muscular arms. He crossed said arms and gave Mirai a weird look. "Did you just call me a 'fire-breathing dumbass'?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Me? Nooooo. You must be crazy." There was an awkward silence after that. "So…how are you?"

"I know what you want me to do. I just have a few questions." Mirai looked on earnestly as Caleb asked, "Do I get to annoy Una?"

"As much as you like."

"Can I insult her to the point that she yells in frustration?"

"You can insult her to the point that she goes insane."

"If push comes to shove, can I pin her to the ground and mock her about losing a simple play fight to a boy?"

"If it's your last wish before you die, go for it."

Caleb grinned. "Alright, you've convinced me. I'll do it." He glanced at the clock in the room. "Uh, you might wanna start heading over to the Drifblim port. He could be there by now."

Mirai gasped. "You're right! Come on, Nikki, we gotta go." The Mismagius grabbed the Ninetales' arm and dragged her down the hall and out the door. Giselle watched them go before she turned back to Caleb. "Una's in our room. Whatever you do, don't let her go into the dining hall. Or out front. We're bringing the guest of honor through the main doors so try to get Una to go out back or something."

Caleb nodded and looked at her arm. "Giselle, I'm really sorry about what Stratos did. He had no right to hurt you over a secret."

Giselle hugged her arms again, the fear of being near the room Stratos lived in coming back. "It's perfectly fine. It's not like he broke my arm or anything." She pointed down the hall. "Alright. Go distract her. Just remember: you can tease her, you can mock her, you can insult her, but we are not liable for any damage she inflicts upon you. Have fun!"

* * *

When Una heard the knock on the door, she jumped. She had been jumpy all day. The girls had told her to stay in her room until someone came to get her, and she had been contemplating what the surprise could be. The knock just made her excited and somewhat nervous. She ran to the door and threw it open, her nervous feeling turning into obvious disappointment and confusion. "Oh. It's you."

"Don't sound so excited, Chaos." Caleb leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "I'm bored. The boys are off doing whatever and I don't feel like finding them. And I noticed you weren't with your girls. You should come hang out with me today."

Una gave the Charizard boy a pure dumbfounded look. "You want me…to hang out with you?" Caleb nodded. "Are…are you ok? Are you sick or something? Or drunk? Do I have to take you to Nurse Blissey?"

"Hahaha, you are so funny, Chaos." Caleb jerked his thumb down the hall. "Come out to the back courtyard and sit with me or something. The sun's shining steadily and there's clouds…and I'm pretty sure the clouds aren't just Altarias passing by."

The Umbreon just blinked and stared at Caleb for a moment. "But…you…" She blinked again and shook her head to clear her thoughts. "You know what? Why not? I got nothing better to do in all honesty." She entered the hall and shut the door. "But if this is some sort of prank, I am going to kill you."

Outside, Una found out that Caleb was right. The sun was shining nicely, but not bright enough to blind any who wanted to sit and gaze up at the sky. The clouds were definitely not Altarias or Swablus for that matter. The courtyard out back was large. There were tons of shady trees to sit under and the air smelled crisp and clean. Una followed Caleb and laid down next to him under the shade of a large tree, both gazing up at the sky.

Una tried not to let the awkwardness of sitting next to her worst enemy ruin the good feeling being outside brought her. She rested her hands on her stomach while Caleb placed his behind his head and smiled. "You wanna play a game? Let's guess what the clouds look like."

Una got a confused look on her face and turned her head to look at him. "What the hell? Guess what the clouds are?"

"Yeah." He pointed up at the sky. "See? That one looks like a Shroomish. Don't you see it?"

The Umbreon just kept staring at him. "Caleb, seriously. Why did you ask me to come out here and sit with you?"

"And that one looks like a Spheal. Come on, Chaos, you have to see that. It's all round and adorable like a Spheal. See it?"

"Dumbass. You gotta tell me why you all of a sudden wanna hang out with me."

Caleb gasped and pointed up at the sky. "Look! Look at that!" Una quickly glanced up and tried to figure out what Caleb was pointing at. "See it? That cloud looks like nothing. It's just all misshapen and weird. That cloud must be a bitch." He gasped again. "That cloud must be you, Chaos!"

Una retaliated simply by reaching over and backhanding him in the face. Caleb gave a short, startled yelp before laughing. "Yeah, I probably deserved that." He sighed contently. "It's great, isn't it? A minute of peace away from the hectic guild. With all the missions and outlaws, it's so hard to get a moment like this. I think Pala makes us work too hard. We should revolt just for the hell of it." He hesitated before saying, "Nah, never mind, I'm to lazy to start a riot. Guess we'll just have to deal with being worked to death."

"Cut the crap, Caleb," Una said fiercely. "Don't talk like we're best friends. Just tell me the real reason for asking me to come sit with you. Are you planning some prank? Or trying to get me to reveal a secret? Just tell me."

"Una, do I seriously need a reason to sit with my enemy and enjoy a moment of peace?" The Charizard smiled up at the sky. "I used to sit outside with my older sister all the time."

Una started. "Holy shit! You have an older sister?"

Caleb grinned. "Yeah. I used to be her favorite person to hang out with when we were younger. Her name's Cada. She's off working at the Elite Guild, the lucky girl. I haven't heard from her in awhile." He hesitated before continuing. "When we were younger, Cada and I would go outside and wait for the sky to turn dark. We'd watch the stars and look up at the moon. She'd tell me stories about the Clefairies at Mt. Moon and the famous feud between Seviper and Zangoose." He gave a short laugh. "It took nearly three years for her to make me stop thinking the moon was actually a Lunatone." He smiled softly. "And every night I'd try my best to see a shooting star. To this day I've never seen one. I guess I was just never meant to see one. Cada would see so many, but whenever I was with her, we wouldn't see a single one. She always told me that one day I would get to, but then she left to go start out at a guild…"

Una stared steadily at Caleb as he talked. "Did she just leave you? Did she go away and never talk to you ever again?"

Caleb shook his head. "No, she sent me letters and visited all the time. I still get letters, just not as often now that she's working at the Elite Guild. It's funny, though. Every letter I get always ends with her asking if I've seen a shooting star yet. It's amazing how she remembers. I thought working at such a busy and high-ranking guild would make her oblivious to everything but her work." He took a deep breath. "I suppose I should be thankful for the letters. I must be lucky to have a sister who takes the time to remember me."

Everything was silent. The wind blew across the grass and trees gently, shaking the leaves softly and causing one or two to float to the ground. Somewhere in the mountains behind the guild, a Houndour howled. But Una didn't notice any of this. She was too busy musing over the last sentence Caleb said. Was that supposed to be an insult? A mocking gesture to the fact that her own brother didn't care about her anymore? Or was that pity he was showing her? She sat up and stared down at him, her eyes hard. "Why the hell are you telling me this?"

Caleb sighed and sat up too, his black eyes focused on the ground. "You're so persistent. Might as well tell you." He sighed again. "We got a letter about your brother the other day, Chaos."

Una tensed. He was lying. He was definitely lying. He was mocking her with the whole 'my sister remembers me but your brother doesn't remember you' bit. "What did this so-called letter say?"

"Well…" Caleb looked right at her. "I didn't get to read the actual thing. Your teammates and Pala wouldn't let me read it. But to sum it up…your brother is dead."

Immediately, whether out of sheer instinct or pure anger at the obvious lie, Una punched Caleb in the stomach. He groaned and fell to his side, clutching his stomach in pain. "Dammit, that really hurts," he said breathlessly. "You punch like a fucking Machoke. What training program are you on? I want in."

"You fucking liar!" she shouted. "You goddamn bastard! Don't tease me! I know he's not dead! You didn't get any letter about my brother! My brother doesn't care about me or anyone at this guild! He hates me! He's never cared! I could be dead for all he cares! And you know what? I hope he is dead! I hope he suffered a horrible death and is burning in hell as we speak!"

Caleb looked over at Una in shock. He sat back up and looked at her, not comprehending what she was saying. "How could you say that about your brother, Chaos? You don't love him at all? You don't miss him?"

"No! I don't love him or miss him! I hate him! And I know he hates me, too!" Una snarled. "You think you're so damn lucky to have an older sibling who still takes the time to remember you and see if you've seen a shooting star. Mine doesn't even-oh, I dunno- know if I'm alive or not!" She clenched her fists. "I don't care, I don't care…"

Before Caleb could say anything, Giselle walked outside. When she spotted Caleb and Una, she called over. "Ok, Una! Come with me to the dining hall. We have a surprise for you!"

Una stood up and walked over to Giselle, ignoring the fact that Caleb was following. "Can someone just tell me what the surprise is? I'm dying to know."

"Just follow me." Giselle led them to the double doors of the dining hall. She turned to Una and smiled. "We really hope you like this, Una." She pushed open the doors and walked inside with Una. Caleb stayed behind, leaning on the doorframe and crossing his arms.

Una marveled at the black and blue decorations. The tables were covered in midnight blue tablecloths and covered in food and delicious-looking berries. Pala, Mirage, Rosetta, and a bunch of the other Pokémon of the guild were there, grinning and smiling at Una as she gazed around the room. Nikki and Mirage stood by the wall, Nikki holding a silver video camera up, recording Una's reactions to everything.

As Giselle walked over to stand with Mirai and Nikki, Una just looked at all the decorations, confused. "What is all this? It's not my birthday or anything. Did I break a record of most outlaws killed or something?" She shook her head and looked over at her team. "What's the surprise?"

"Hey, little sister." Una's confused looked washed away to a look of complete and utter shock. That voice. She recognized that voice. How could she recognize that voice? Her head snapped back to the front of the dining hall. Stepping out from one of the corners was a tall boy with black hair that hung near his yellow eyes. His black and blue outfit was similar to hers. A smile was on his face as he looked right at Una. "Wow. It's been forever, hasn't it? Did you miss me at all?"

Time seemed to stop. Una's heart raced and her lips trembled as she tried to speak. "Eclipse…" Her voice sounded so hoarse with shock and confusion. Her shoulders slumped and started to shake. She could feel everyone in the room holding their breath, waiting for her to break into tears and run over to her brother for comfort. Nikki's video camera stayed focused on the two Umbreon siblings, ready to keep this tender moment recorded for all of time. Mirai had her journal out, her pen ready to fly across the page with details of the reunion. Giselle held her hands to her heart, a smile on her face as she waited for the two to hug. Pala, Mirage, and Rosetta were exchanging looks and smiles, as if knowing how this whole meeting would end. But Una paid no mind to any of them as she slowly walked over to her brother.

Caleb turned away from the spectacle. He just leaned against the wooden doorframe, arms crossed and black eyes closed. He wondered if Una regretted what she had said about her brother. She must be relieved to see that he wasn't dead. She must regret what she said. But she'd never admit that to the Charizard. He just knew that she was sorry for what she had told him and was happy to see Eclipse.

Suddenly, there was a loud _WHAM!_ followed by the dull thud of something heavy falling to the ground. Caleb started and looked over. Una shoved past him, her fists clenched and her red eyes murderous beyond belief. Eclipse was on the ground, his hands covering his face. Giselle and Mirai had rushed over to help Eclipse up. Nikki was still recording, an astonished look on her face. Everything was silent for awhile, no one really knowing what to say. But, of course, Caleb broke the silence.

"Do it again, I wasn't watching!"

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**Nice, Caleb. Nice. I thought that was the perfect way to end the chapter. So Eclipse is here, but why? *Dun Dun DUUUUUN* You'll probably find that out next chapter. Or not. I dunno yet.**

**Oh, here's the pronunciation for Caleb's sister's name:**

**Cada (Kay-duh)**

**So, there's the end of the chapter. Hope you guys liked it. Leave me a review, I'd really appreciate it!**


	6. Dark Moon

**Hi guys! *sidesteps knives and gunshots* Aww, come on! Be nice! I can start off a chapter in a funny way. I'm the writer. So there. And didn't you guys miss Una and Caleb and everyone? …no? Yes? Maybe? Well, I hope you did. Because this chapter is way overdue.**

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**Chapter 6**

"Really, I'm so sorry for Una's behavior," Giselle apologized for the sixth time, bowing humbly to Eclipse. "I had no idea she would react as such. You see, we thought perhaps she would be very excited to see you. But…well, apparently we thought wrong." She straightened herself and stared sorrowfully at Eclipse as Nurse Blissey fixed his black eye.

After the whole incident with Una punching her brother in the face, Pala had Mirage help Eclipse to her office. He was sitting on one of the three couches the Persian kept in her office for guests. Nurse Blissey had been called in to instantly fix Eclipse's eye with her skilled healing abilities. Pala sat calmly in the chair behind her desk, but a slightly humorous glint flickered in her eyes as she remembered Una's outburst. Unexpected of the Umbreon, indeed. Though it was a bit funny…

Eclipse smiled and shook his head at Giselle. "It's fine, really. I should've expected something like that from Una. She always was a headstrong girl, that one."

Nurse Blissey moved away from Eclipse, wiping her hands on her apron and shaking her curly pink hair away from her face. "There you go, sugar. Good as new." The black eye was now gone, not a trace of it left. "You just call on me again if that sister of yours goes hurting you again." As Nurse Blissey turned toward the door, she sighed. "Arceus knows that darn girl ends up hurting everyone in the blessed guild…"

Rosetta giggled at Nurse Blissey's comment as the pink-haired Pokémon left. "Do forgive your sister, though, Eclipse dear," she told the Umbreon boy. She sat next to Mirai and Mirage, her playful smile never leaving her face. "I'm sure that her actions were just spur of the moment. She was surprised to see you. I suppose punching you was just…her way of showing surprise."

"She sure is fast when showing surprise," Nikki commented as she sat on the floor by Mirai's feet. She was reviewing the footage she took at the party, watching over and over the part where Una attacked her brother. "Look at that. She's just dumbstruck and then…that is the fastest right hook I've ever seen anyone throw."

"Alright, that's enough of that, Nikki." Mirai gently shut off the video camera. "Una will be here eventually, Eclipse. Then she can properly apologize to you."

"There's no need for apologies," Eclipse told them, leaning forward and letting his arms rest on his knees. "I know my sister wasn't expecting me. I also know she's mad at me for not getting in touch with her or writing to her or anything. It's my fault, really. I should've let her know I was alive."

"Is it true you have been busy at the Elite Guild?" Mirai asked excitedly, clutching her journal to her chest. "It's every Explorer's dream to join the Elite Guild. It must be so amazing there."

Eclipse nodded, his yellow eyes sparkling. "It really is. I've been on so many exciting missions and brought in some tough outlaws. The guild itself is so big and holds so many strong Pokémon working in it. I've met a lot of Pokémon with incredible power and skills. Being at the Elite Guild is just everything I've ever dreamed about. I hope you guys one day end up going there."

Giselle took a seat on the third couch, twisting strands of her green hair between her fingers in a show of pure excitement. "Wow…the Elite Guild is like a dream come true! I'm so envious of you!"

Eclipse opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a loud shout coming outside of Pala's doors. There was a murmured voice, followed by another loud shout. Mirage and Rosetta looked over at Pala, but the Persian calmly flicked her tail back and forth. Mirai gave an exasperated sigh, Giselle pursed her lips, and Nikki and Eclipse shared a confused glance.

Suddenly, the double doors burst open. Caleb walked into the room, his Charizard wings brought close to his back and his tail moved far away from the squirming mass of black he held tightly in his arms. Said squirming mass of black was none other than Una, hissing and clawing at his arms. "Uh, sorry we're late," Caleb said, oblivious to the long red scratches running down his arms. "Trying to get into this one's room was the easy part. Getting her out to bring her here was the difficult part." Caleb carried Una over to Eclipse. He held the Umbreon girl out to her brother, holding her arms to her sides. "Alright, Chaos. Say hi to your brother nicely this time."

Una took one look at her brother and hissed again, trying her best to wriggle out of Caleb's grip and attack Eclipse. The Umbreon boy, however, simply smiled at his little sister. "Hey there, Una. You really have grown a lot. It's been years, hasn't it?"

"I'm surprised you're not rotting in the Distortion World! Did Sacred Giratina spit you back out because your cruelness rivals even his?!" Una glared full-out at her brother. "You know, I thought all this time you were in the Distortion World. I thought you were dead. And then you just fucking show up!" She growled, showing her sharp teeth. "You should've just let me believe you were dead."

"Una…" Eclipse gave her a sad smile as he stared up at her. "I'm sorry. It really is my fault. I should've made sure you were ok. But I didn't." He reached up and patted her hair, watching as she blinked in surprise. "I'm a horrible brother, I know. And I apologize. I know you can never forgive me. And I shouldn't use the Elite Guild as an excuse. I really am sorry, Una."

Una stopped struggling and stared at her brother. Her Umbreon ears flattened against her black hair as she looked away from him. "Yeah, well, I'm still gonna beat you up for making me think you were dead. So don't think you're totally forgiven."

Eclipse gave her a huge grin and gently pried her from Caleb's arms. "I really missed you, sis," he said as he gave her a giant hug, holding her tightly to him. "I promise I'll never abandon you again. I'll always keep in touch with you and visit often. I promise."

Una didn't hug him back, but she closed her eyes as he hugged her. "You idiot…" she murmured. "If you ever make me think you're dead again, I will find you and send you to Sacred Giratina myself."

Mirai and Giselle gave each other a happy look, while Nikki turned on the video camera and filmed the tender moment real quick so she could turn it into a picture later. Caleb stared down at the siblings for a moment, a look of sadness in his eyes. Then, just as quick as it had come, it was gone. "Aww, what a sad moment!" he said, wiping his eyes in exaggeration. "Golly, this is just too sweet!"

Angrily, Una growled and pushed herself away from Eclipse, flinging herself at Caleb. "You got something to say, Charizard?" she snarled, catching him in a headlock. Caleb simply laughed and pried the Umbreon from his back, setting her down next to Nikki.

"So, Eclipse," Pala said once Caleb sat on the floor with Nikki and Una and everyone had calmed down, "something tells me you aren't here just to visit your sister. Do you have any news from the Elite Guild?"

"Actually, yes." Eclipse straightened up and turned his attention to Pala. "Other than coming to see Una, I've brought you a message. I came to warn you and your guild, Pala."

This caught all of the Pokémon's attention. "To warn us?" Mirage asked, narrowing his eyes. "Warn us about what? What's going on?"

Eclipse's happy face turned serious. "We've been seeing a lot of outlaws and such with a similar mark on them, a black crescent moon with eight lines going around it like sun beams. After capturing one of these outlaws and interrogating them, we've learned that they're from a group that call themselves Dark Moon."

"Dark Moon?" Rosetta brushed her white hair back and shrugged. "It's a rather stupid name if you think about it. But what does it matter? They're probably just a bunch of outlaws creating a group to try to scare the guilds. There's no need to warn us, Eclipse dear."

Eclipse shook his head, turning an uneasy look toward Rosetta. "It's not that simple. We've been doing more research on this Dark Moon group. Turns out they've been operating for a few years now. Only now have they been revealing themselves. These outlaws we're capturing are only little minions. The higher-ups aren't showing themselves. If they've been alive for this long, then they mean business."

"How interesting." Pala folded her fingers together and narrowed her eyes. "This Dark Moon group might be more dangerous than we think. They're probably just sending out simple outlaws to make us unwary. They might attack when we least expect it. They can't be a force to be reckoned with. We must treat any group with the utmost seriousness." She stood up. "Mirage, Rosetta, go organize some groups to go out and see if we can search for any of these Dark Moon outlaws. I want to find out as much about them as I can." She started to walk toward the door with Mirage and Rosetta. "Caleb, I need you go to fill in what's going on to your team. All of you must be careful."

"Yes, Lady Pala," the members of Team Rose and Caleb recited as the three administrators of the Persian Guild left to warn the rest of the guild of the Dark Moon threat.

As soon as they were gone, Caleb got up and looked at Eclipse. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Of course." The Umbreon boy smiled. "Ask away."

Caleb looked down, almost shyly, as he murmured his question. "Since you work at the Elite Guild…have you seen my sister, Cada?"

Eclipse looked up at Caleb and grinned. "Of course I have. I've worked with her a few times on some missions. She talks about you a lot. Just as much as I talk to her about Una." He laughed. "Like we're trading sibling stories. But yes, I've seen Cada. She's in good health."

Caleb let out a breath of relief. "Thank Dialga. I'm so glad she's ok. Thanks for telling me." He helped Una and Nikki up. "Alright. You girls gotta come tell my team about what happened with me. I think this Dark Moon group is gonna be something we need to discuss."

Giselle and Mirai got off the couches and followed Caleb out of the door, leaving Eclipse on his own. The Umbreon boy watched as they all left, his eyes trailing after his sister. Once the door closed, he sighed quietly and flattened his blue and black Umbreon ears. "Una…I hope I've come in time. Please be careful. So much is going to happen now. I can feel it."

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**Well now we know why Eclipse came to the guild. But does he know more than he lets on? And what of this Dark Moon group? Find out in the next exciting installment of Dark Explorations!**


End file.
